A Little Profit

Read

1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

What It Is Speaking to Me

Sometime in the last year, I got old. Some of my older readers would scoff at that remark, and I don't blame you. But what I mean is that generally speaking, I can do any kind of regular physical activity — sports, yard work, light construction, etc. — without getting sore or having some joint bark its displeasure at me the following morning. 2026 seems to be the dawn of a new era, one I am not happy about.

This verse is a "burr in my saddle" (to use a phrase more fitting of my newly attained old-person status) because while my main pursuit is the spiritual life, like all Christians, I need to acknowledge that there is profit in stewarding my physical body as long as I have it. Paul puts the physical in its proper place— but he doesn't dismiss it entirely.

Like all things we have been given, we are stewards of our bodies, and our consumer culture doesn't make it easy to steward them well. There is just so much rich food and sugary drinks, and we don't have to work as farmers to get our food from the ground. Rich food without the physical labor to acquire it is a world Paul probably couldn't fully imagine. But the principles of stewardship are timeless, and the responsibility to honor God with our bodies doesn't expire just because our culture has made neglect more convenient.

As much as it depends on us, let's not let the physical hinder or limit our pursuit of the spiritual. Whatever that looks like for you or me will be different, but it will profit us... at least a little.

What Is It Saying to You?

How do you see the stewardship of your body?

How do you achieve balance between spiritual and physical stewardship?

What Are We Going to Do About It?

Commit to a specific, small physical discipline today (e.g., getting more sleep, exercising) as an act of stewardship.